Ghaziabad heist: 4 held, Rs 13 lakh found

Nov 8, 2012, 01.19AM ISTTNN

GHAZIABAD: Police have arrested the four criminals who committed the daring bank robbery at the District Cooperative Bank in Sihani Gate area of Ghaziabad and casually took a city bus to escape. Cops said the four accused went on a spree across Uttar Pradesh, spending their recently acquired money in fancy hotels across Meerut, Moradabad, Lucknow and Agra before returning to Ghaziabad from where they were arrested.

Police said that accused have been identified as Mukesh, Ajay, Monu and Javed, aged between 25 and 35. The four criminals had entered the bank and held the manager at gunpoint before proceeding to disconnect the CCTV cameras and steal over Rs 15 lakh on October 31.

After committing the crime, the four had simply walked out of the bank with the money stuffed in two bags and pockets of their clothes and boarded a city bus to escape. With their recently acquired money, the four travelled to a number of cities and partied in expensive hotels, frequently changing locations and leading the police on a chase that lasted a week. The four then returned to Ghaziabad, their native place, and were arrested.

Police said that along with the arrest of the four people from the Hindon Vihar area of Ghaziabad, they have also managed to recover almost Rs 13 lakh of the stolen money. The robbers weren't wearing masks and the CCTV camera has captured them entering the bank. The CCTV images gave police the needed identity proof to nab the robbers, cops said.